How Keywords Influence SEO Ranking in 2023

The professionals at Exults know the internet and how to make it work for you. Whether your business is new in the world of online marketing or has been in it for a while, you probably know online marketing is always changing and evolving.

At Exults, you’ll find a team with expertise in web design, ROI-focused marketing campaigns, and, of course, the real keys to keywords. 

Exults designs online marketing campaigns that track and deliver the results your company wants and needs to succeed.  With more than 17 years in the digital marketing arena, the team at Exults has worked with businesses – large and small and every size in between – to deliver exceptional solutions.

Here, the in-house professionals at Exults deliver the keys to keywords and the tips your company needs to reach your target audience and beyond. 

Are Keywords Important For SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has, from the beginning, been a big factor in internet marketing success. Let’s begin here, whether you consider yourself a novice or an expert at SEO and keywords. Keywords have always been crucial components in SEO, at one point reaching a density of up to three percent (translation: on average this means three percent of the keywords on a Google Search compared to other words in Metadata and Title Tags). Today, keywords are still a crucial factor in the Google ranking algorithm, but not the only critical factor to consider. Let’s dig deeper. 

In the past, keyword density was the descriptor, but today the focus turns to keyphrases rather than single words. Keyphrase density is the percentage the keyphrase appears in your content as related to the total content. Simply explained, if your content contains 100 words, with four being your keyphrase, your keyphrase density is four percent. 

Keyphrase density is significant for your SEO because of the way Google matches search queries with web pages. To make the connection, Google must know what your webpage contains, and the keyphrases in your content accomplish this task naturally. Of course, the challenge arises in overusing the keyphrase, which makes your content boring for your visitors.  Not only that, but it also makes Google suspect you are over-optimizing, and in turn have the opposite effect, negatively affecting your rankings. 

Factors That Influence Google Ranking: Keywords, Key Phrases, and Relevance 

Whether you use keywords or keyphrases in your content, they are still relevant as one of the main ranking factors used by Google. They still need to be accurate, quality keywords to ensure your content is relevant to the user’s search, but they are no longer the only ranking factor for your website. In fact, Google algorithm now ranks on more than 200 factors, including a blend of quality, content, links – both inbound and outbound, navigation, speed, social media shares, and more. 

 On top of that, it is important to realize Google does not require exact matches for keywords and keyphrases any longer, which has changed the way internet marketing strategists operate. As the search engine becomes more human and gains greater intelligence, Google more easily understands natural language.

As a result, the over-repetition of keywords in your content can make your website be deemed less valuable and untrustworthy. Today, developing your content toward greater natural readability and the actual way a human user would search for information yields greater benefits. 

Is Keyword Placement Important? 

While exactly matched keywords may be a thing of the past, the placement of relevant keywords can still work to help Google identify your content’s intent, and help your webpage. Pertinent keywords should be placed high on the page (title, introduction, description).

This type of placement is crucial when Google indexes your site making it more identifiable. It is equally important to remember SEO and Google continually update its algorithm, making it necessary to be aware of industry updates and adapt your website content accordingly. 

What are Seasonal Keywords? 

Obviously, your content strategy is crucial in optimizing engagement and boosting your rankings, but what about seasonal keywords? Should they be incorporated into your content, and if so, how? Seasonal keywords are simply the words and phrases internet users search at particular times of the year – Christmas, Super Bowl, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Olympics  – you get the idea. If you develop evergreen content or content relevant all year long, you might find seasonal keywords are detrimental to your long-term SEO efforts. 

On the other hand, they can boost traffic to your site when used effectively, particularly if your competition doesn’t utilize them. To use seasonal keywords to your advantage, you will want to check out the forecast for their relevance at Google Insights, post your seasonal content prior to the season, and remain faithful to your long-term SEO goals as well. 

Where Should I Use Short-Tail and Long-Tail Keywords?

Social interaction and engagement are crucial in the world of digital advertising and internet marketing. Your business has to stand out, be unique from the competition, understand and connect with your target audience. To do so, you have to maintain relevant advertising, from landing pages to advertisements, utilizing SEO successfully. SEO means the use of keywords, which includes short-tail and long-tail keywords. Let’s dive in. 

Long-tail keywords can be useful in title tags, Meta Data, and throughout your content, but you must keep your main focus on relevant content and readability.  Short-tail keywords contain a maximum of three words and are the words you would think of first when initiating a search. They tend to return large amounts of traffic as a result. Long-tail keywords are more targeted, attracting your target audience but not much more. 

Both long-tail and short-tail keywords can work to your advantage, but long-tail keywords tend to work best. Long-tail promises substantial, more targeted volume with higher click-through rate (CTR) and lower cost per click (CPC) resulting in higher positions and increased conversions.  Short-tail keywords can deliver lots of traffic to your site and are easy to develop, but they must flow naturally and easily into your content, registering a higher quality ranking score and relevance to your target audience. 

The Keys to Keyword Success

Keyword success comes via SEO research, understanding your target audience, and developing the best strategy for your business. Exults is ready to help you meet all your SEO needs and optimize your website for success. Reach out today!